Sling-ball game device



A ril 1 1924. 1,488,672

A. w. HARRISON SLING BALL GAME DEVICE Filed March 2. 1923 Fi ,3 0 VINVENTOR.

Patented Apr. ll, T92 1.

ARTHUR JV. HARRISON, 0F BOETGN, I/EASSAEHUSETTS.

SLING-BALL GAME DEVICE.

Application March 2,

To all 10710;71 it may concern:

Be it known that T, ARTHUR Ti". HARRI- soN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Boston, in. the county of Suffolk and State of l flassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sling-Ball (lame Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for playing a variety of games, and refers particularly to game devices of the sling and ball type, including a cup for catching the ball after it has been tossed by the sling.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a device of this character in which the sling portion comprises a band of flexible material throughout, said band being so connected to a handle at each end that it will constitute a trough along which the ball may be rolled to a selected position, whether the band be held taut or slackened preparatory to tossing or throwing the ball.

Another object is to provide such a device with a cup at one end, the cup having a cylindri -a1 mouth and the band at that end be ing connected only at its corners to the sides of the mouth of the cup so that when the ball is in the cup and the cup is tilted the ball will be accurately delivered by the cup into the trough-shaped band.

Of the accompanying drawings Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of the device in its preferred form, one of the handles including a cup-shaped portion.

Figure 3 represents a transverse section.

Figure t is a perspective view, on a smaller scale, of another form having no cup-shaped portion.

The band a, preferably of quite inelastic fabric, 1 as its two corners, at each end, connected to a handle as by knotting. In Figures 1 and 2 the upper end of the handle 6 is cup-shaped, the mouth of the cup being substantially cylindrical, and the handle 0 is flat so that it can be used as a bat. A convenient way of using the device in this form is to first place the ball d in the cup of handle b and then tilt the handle and its cup as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2, thus causing the ball to roll or slide out of the cup onto the band. Owing to the fact that the mouth of the cup is substantially cylindrical and the fact that only the corners of the band are connected to the cup and at opposite sides of its mouth, the band will retain a longitudinally grooved or trough shape whether it is taut or slackened. The band requires no special feature of construction, or treatment, to enable it to reliably hold the ball either for rolling along it or to keep it in place for tossing.

When the ball is to be tossed the two handles are brought together, usually closer than shown in igure 1, so that the band ags, and then the two handles are quickly moved apart to the relative positions indicated in Figure 2, with the result that the ball is tossed (see dot and dash lines, Figure 2) to a height depending upon the rapidity, or the amount of force used, when the band is converted from sagging to taut condition. To toss the ball straight up, the handles are parted in a horizontal direction. To toss or sling the ball in a more or less inclined direction, as when it is to be tossed into a suspended receptacle or across or over a tennis or ping pong net, the desired direction of movement is obtained with more or less accuracy according to practice and skill, by sharply moving one or the other of the handles in a downwardly inclined direction while holding the otherhandle up. This ability of the device to be used for sending the ball sidewise or laterally is chiefly duetothe loose suspension of the band by means of its four corners, as hereinbefore described. And since the band sags at each end, between its corners, the two handles act as barriers to prevent the ball from being rolled oif at either end.

A particular use of the cup is to catch the ball when a game is being played between two or more opponents, such use being interesting on a beach where the use of any kind of heavy ball is prohibited. Preferably the ball is of rubber, hollow.

When the device is used on a tennis ground, or across a ping pong net, the counting may be the same as in those games. A preferred rule for counting when the device is used for the sake of the exercise and without other devices such as a net or suspended receptacle, is for each player to count Hi when the ball is tossed or slung, and to count Ya when the ball is caught, this latter expression resembling the sound when the ball engages the tapering inside of the cup having such form as illustrated.

The reason for making the cup internally cone-shaped, or tapering, is that when the ball lands in the cup it remains there instead of bounding out as it would be more liable to do if the cup had no portion in. which the ball Would bind with a somewhat edging action.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A game device comprising ii pair of handles and a flexible band connected at its four corners to the handles and free to at each end between the corners.

2. A game device comprising a pair 0 handles and a llexilt-le hand connected at it four corners to the handles and free to sag 21. each end between the corners pOl'l'lOHS of the handles extending to a height to as barriers to prevent :1 hell supported on the band from rolling: ell at .he ends.

3. A game device eoin risingz; :1 pair oi? handles one of whi h has 2: cup-shaped pen tion With a snhst: :nill cynndricul month, and a flexible band connecting the handles, the connection with d portion said cup-shape being Rt the sides of its cylini lriczil month to permit the said cup-shaped portion to he tilted to direct :1 hall from the cup onto the hand.

4. The combination with a pair of handles and :1 flexible hand connected at its four corners thereto and free to sag at each end he tween the corners, of a hell adapted to be rolled along the hand or to be thrown there lii'on'i by converting the hand from the condition oi ii swing to a. tent condition.

The combination with a. flexible band ziving handles at its ends, one of said hanhaving an internall cone-she} ed cup tiorn of zi hull having; zi size appropriate heconie slightly wedged in said conelhaped cup.

In testimony whereof I have alfix d my signature.

ARTHUR W. HARRISON. 

